


Scars and Reminders

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Werewolf AU, based on craziiwolf's khwerewolfAU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 06:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6145290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa didn't always spend his nights in werewolf form in the shed, but there's a reason he does so now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scars and Reminders

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on craziiwolf's khwerewolfAU on tumblr, which is amazing, so everyone should go check it out!

"Hey, Oikawa, where'd you run off to?" Iwaizumi called, pulling the furry hood of his jacket closer around his face. They'd been finishing up the day's expedition into the forest, but Oikawa had taken off into the woods as they had been about to head back to their cabin. Iwaizumi had been preoccupied with his rifle - that was the last time he'd ever use this particular one, because for some reason he could never aim well with this one - and hadn't seen where his hunting partner had gone off to. Something cold and damp hit his cheek, and he glanced up at the sky. Of course it would start snowing now. "Oikawa! _Tooru!_ " he shouted. This time, a reply quieted by distance reached him, and Iwaizumi huffed and set off in the direction it had come from. Several minutes later, he found Oikawa sitting on a fallen log, one leg stretched out in front of him awkwardly. Iwaizumi's perpetual frown deepened.

"There you are, Iwa-chan," Oikawa said, grinning ruefully. "I thought I saw a werewolf, so I took off running, but I think I sprained my ankle." Iwaizumi groaned and walked over to his partner.

"That's why you shouldn't go off on your own, idiot," he grumbled, crouching and carefully examining Oikawa's ankle. The other hunter winced when Iwaizumi's fingers brushed against the injury. "We need to get you back to the cabin. It's getting late, and I don't have anything with me to wrap this with," Iwaizumi sighed, standing and holding his hand out to Oikawa, who took it and let himself be pulled to his feet. He wobbled, trying to keep his weight off his injured foot, and Iwaizumi moved in beside him and wrapped an arm around his waist, steadying him. Oikawa relaxed into the hold and threw his own arm over Iwaizumi's shoulder. Together, they made their way back through the trees, Oikawa hobbling along, supported by his partner. When they reached their cabin, situated in a small clearing, across from the shed they stored most of their weapons and firewood in, Iwaizumi had to set his rifle down and release his hold on Oikawa to unlock the door. Once it was open, he helped Oikawa inside and kicked the door shut, then situated him on the couch in their living room, leaving the rifle leaning against the wall outside. Oh, well. It was his least favorite rifle anyway. Iwaizumi fetched their first aid kit and brought it to Oikawa, who was staring out the window, his jacket laying on the couch beside him.

"I can wrap it myself," Oikawa said when Iwaizumi bent over the injury, bandage in hand. Iwaizumi glanced up at him, frowning, and Oikawa glanced pointedly toward the window again. Iwaizumi followed his gaze and noted that the sun was low enough that the border between afternoon and evening was fast approaching.

"It'll be fine," Iwaizumi assured him. "I'll be quick." Before Oikawa could protest, Iwaizumi was carefully maneuvering his foot into a better position to wrap it, then gently and efficiently binding it. He secured the bandage and sat back on his heels, then looked up. Oikawa's eyes, a shade lighter and slightly more yellow than usual, were fixed on Iwaizumi, who kept his own gaze lowered. A pair of soft brown ears sprouted from the top of Oikawa's head, and there was a slightly different shape to his nose and jaw. He couldn't see it because of Oikawa's long sleeves and the way he was sitting, but Iwaizumi knew that there were lines of fur down his partner's arms, and he'd gained a tail. Oikawa lifted one hand, now with elongated and sharpened nails that were really more like claws, to Iwaizumi's cheek. For a long moment, they stayed like that, Iwaizumi carefully not meeting Oikawa's eyes and Oikawa studying him.

Iwaizumi knew his partner was a temporary werewolf, of course. He'd known since before they decided to hunt together, Iwaizumi trading his original deep brown hunting jacket for one that matched Oikawa's green one. It wasn't exactly easy to hide the fact that, every night, Oikawa sprouted those ears and that tail. Not as obvious, of course, were the enhanced senses and instincts that came with the physical changes. Iwaizumi knew that it was always best to be careful right after the change, when those instincts were strongest and Oikawa's wolf self was least like his human self. Oikawa's hand dropped from his cheek, and Iwaizumi tilted his head, lifting his gaze to meet Oikawa's.

"How are you feeling, Tooru?" Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa didn't answer immediately, instead leaning down toward him, grinning, fangs glinting slightly. Iwaizumi reached up slowly and cupped the werewolf's cheek with his hand, mirroring the way Oikawa had touched Iwaizumi's cheek before. "Be careful of your ankle, okay?" Oikawa pouted at him, which really shouldn't have been so endearing considering the reputation werewolves had.

"Aw, Iwa-chan, don't worry so much, or you'll get wrinkles," Oikawa told him, tapping his forehead lightly, careful not to jab his claw into Iwaizumi's skin. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and stood, his knee jostling Oikawa's injured ankle as he did so and drawing a pained yelp from the werewolf.

"Shit, sorry," Iwaizumi said quickly, reaching out to calm his partner. He froze, his hand halfway to Oikawa's shoulder, as a fierce, rumbling snarl erupted from Oikawa's throat. "Tooru?" Iwaizumi slowly moved his hand back and then carefully on the floor again, because keeping his head lower than Oikawa's usually calmed him down when his wolf instincts surfaced. This time, the motion brought him closer to Oikawa's injured foot, making the werewolf jerk away, which of course in turn only made him yelp in pain again, then growl and lash out blindly when Iwaizumi unthinkingly reached out to calm him once more. Oikawa's claws flashed through the air, narrowly missing Iwaizumi's arm. "Hey! I know you're in pain, but calm down!" Iwaizumi urged, his voice just slightly more irritated than it probably should have been. Oikawa snarled, and Iwaizumi glared up at him, deciding that this was a good time to switch from appeasing the wolf instincts to being firm with his partner, because once Oikawa was agitated enough to swipe at him, being stern usually calmed him down. This time, though, it seemed like Iwaizumi had miscalculated how painful that ankle was, because Oikawa's eyes were narrow, and several shades brighter yellow than before. The werewolf shifted, his injured leg still not taking his weight, and Iwaizumi had just enough time to grumble, "Shit," before Oikawa lunged at him, fangs bared and claws slashing.

Iwaizumi threw himself backwards, but not quickly enough to dodge two swipes of the werewolf's claws, one to his chest and one across the left side of his face. He hissed in pain, but forced himself to go limp beneath the werewolf who was now crouched above him, claws dragging at his shoulders and snarling. He shouldn't have tried to boss the wolf when he was injured. He remembered Oikawa telling him that when he was in pain, the wolf instincts screamed at him to attack anything that might be a threat, so _why_ was he just remembering this now and not a few minutes ago before he'd messed up and tried to be stern with an injured werewolf?

"Tooru," Iwaizumi murmured, forcing his voice to be soft and as non-threatening as he could make it. He tilted his head, exposing his throat - as much as he trusted Oikawa, whenever Iwaizumi had to resort to that, it always made his heart try to pound its way right out of his chest. His left eye was shut, because Oikawa's claws had raked from his forehead to his cheek, and blood was streaming down his face, and Iwaizumi was really lucky he'd already been moving backward when he'd gotten hit, or he probably would've lost that eye. The snarling paused, and Iwaizumi felt Oikawa shifting his weight over him. The werewolf's face pressed against Iwaizumi's neck, and then a low whine escaped Oikawa's throat. Iwaizumi didn't move, not wanting to trigger more aggressive instincts. Oikawa lifted his head, and Iwaizumi heard him hiss.

"Iwa-chan? Oh god, Hajime, are you okay?" Oikawa demanded. Iwaizumi turned his head so he could study his partner with the eye not swollen and covered in blood.

"I'll be fine if you can get off me and let me clean myself up, you mutt," Iwaizumi grumbled, ignoring the way speaking pulled at the wounds on his face. His chest hurt, too, he realized, and his shirt was probably ruined, slashed and bloody now. Oikawa scrambled off of Iwaizumi, yelping in pain when he accidentally put his weight on his injured foot.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Oikawa exclaimed. Iwaizumi sat up - or tried to. The movement made the wounds on his chest release fresh waves of blood and pain.

"I know," Iwaizumi growled, biting back a groan as he forced himself upright on his second try. "Hand me the first aid kit, would you?" There was a whimper, but no first aid kit was pushed into his waiting hand. Iwaizumi frowned and lifted his arm, trying to wipe some of the blood from his eye as he scanned the room for Oikawa. There werewolf was crouched near the door, horror and fear written in every inch of his body. His eyes were back to the usual yellow-brown of Oikawa's werewolf form, meaning his instincts weren't ruling him anymore. "Hey, it's okay. It's just a few scratches," Iwaizumi reassured him. "Just help me clean up, okay?"

Oikawa stood, and for a moment, Iwaizumi thought he was going to cross the room and help bandage his wounds. But then Oikawa lunged for the door, opening it and almost falling out of the cabin.

"Tooru!" Iwaizumi shouted. He tried to get to his feet, but he slipped an nearly fell in his own blood. He scowled at the still-open door, then turned his attention to finding and retrieving the first aid kit. He would have to clean and bandage his wounds before he could go after his partner. Iwaizumi scowled. It was still snowing out there, and it was freezing, and Oikawa hadn't even had his hunter's jacket on, and the damn wolf didn't have enough fur to keep warm. "I'm going to have his tail for a trophy for this," Iwaizumi growled to himself. By the time he'd successfully bandaged himself enough that he didn't think he was in immediate danger of dying from his wounds, he retrieved his spare green jacket - the one he'd been wearing had been slashed just as thoroughly as the shirt he'd had on - and set off into the woods, the snow had almost covered Oikawa's tracked. Iwaizumi scowled to himself and followed the trail as quickly as he could, pain slowing him despite the adrenaline rushing through his system. He also couldn't see as well as usual, since the left side of his face was covered in hastily-placed bandages, but he had to find Oikawa, or the stupid werewolf was going to freeze to death. He couldn't have gone far, not with the way he'd been yelping every time his ankle got jostled, Iwaizumi knew. He found Oikawa huddled in a makeshift shelter formed by a boulder and a fallen log. "There you are," Iwaizumi sighed, relieved. Oikawa shrank farther into the darkness of his shelter.

"Go back to the cabin, Iwa-chan," Oikawa said, trying to make his voice as light and teasing as it normally was, but Iwaizumi heard the whimper in his words anyway.

"Not without you," Iwaizumi replied firmly. He crouched at the entrance of the shelter, not completely concealing his wince as pain shot through his torso.

"I'm not going back," Oikawa replied. "You can't be around me; I'll hurt you again. Please, Iwa-chan, go back. You'll freeze out here." Iwaizumi did his best to scowl at his partner, but the wasn't sure if the bandages on his face enhanced or nullified the effect.

"So will you," Iwaizumi snapped. "Come on back, and let's talk, okay?"

"No! I don't want to hurt you again," Oikawa whined. Night was falling fast, and Iwaizumi was beginning to worry about them being able to find their way back in the dark.

"Well, if you don't want to hurt me again, then everything's fine," Iwaizumi announced. "Because you never do anything you don't want to do." Oikawa turned away, trying to press himself farther into the darkness beneath the log. Iwaizumi shivered and pulled his hood up, wishing he'd taken the time to put on all of his snow gear. But then he might not have found Oikawa.

"Please go back," Oikawa pleaded. "You already got hurt once tonight because of me." Iwaizumi crossed his arms and settled himself against the boulder.

"I already told you. I'm not leaving you here," Iwaizumi insisted. Oikawa's ears pressed flat against his head, and Iwaizumi heard him shifting around in the darkness. "If you want me to go home, you'll have to come with me." Oikawa was stubbornly silent. "Fine. Then I guess we'll both freeze out here." A furious growl, followed by a resigned whine, made Iwaizumi smile, despite the twinge of pain from his facial wounds. "Come on, idiot. Let's go home." He stood, and Oikawa crept out of his makeshift shelter, hobbling on three legs like an injured wolf - which he was. The two walked back to their cabin, Oikawa having to take the lead after a while, because his night vision was way better than Iwaizumi's. When the two were safely inside once more, Oikawa planted himself in the corner and refused to budge. Iwaizumi considered picking him up and hauling him to their bedroom, but decided against it. He didn't want to distress Oikawa any more. Instead, he brought as many warm blankets as he could spare and dropped them beside the werewolf. "If you're going to sulk out here, at least get some sleep," Iwaizumi told him. Then he went to their room to rest himself.

When Iwaizumi woke in the morning, Oikawa wasn't curled up in bed beside him like he'd hoped he would be, and Iwaizumi's bandages seemed to have come loose overnight. He grumbled and went to the living room, where the first aid kit was still spread out on the floor from the night before. Oikawa, fully human now that the night was over, was huddled in the corner in a heap of blankets, watching Iwaizumi silently. Iwaizumi set about checking and redressing his wounds, then sat on the floor facing his partner.

"It's not your fault," Iwaizumi said. Oikawa's gaze was fixed stubbornly on the floor. "Tooru. It's not your fault. You were in pain and I-"

"You didn't do anything wrong!" Oikawa snapped. "I lost control, and I hurt you! I'm a monster. You know that, you've always known that, and it was only a matter of time before I lost it and hurt someone."

"You're not a monster," Iwaizumi replied sharply. "You're my partner."

"Only during the day," Oikawa countered. He paused, then admitted, "I'm scared. I don't want to hurt you again. I won't want you to be near me when I'm a werewolf, because it's only a matter of time before I snap again." Iwaizumi glared at him, but for once, the expression had no effect. Which might have been partially due to the fact that Oikawa couldn't seem to look him in the face.

"You can't just run off and hide in the woods every night. You'll freeze."

"Then you'd be safe from me," Oikawa pointed out.

"No, then I'd freeze my ass off tracking you down and hauling your tail back here every night," Iwaizumi growled. Oikawa's eyes flew wide with fear, and Iwaizumi thought maybe his partner was going to give in. But then Oikawa apparently got an idea, because his expression changed to something grim but almost satisfied.

"Then I'll stay in the shed when I change," Oikawa decided. Iwaizumi opened his mouth to argue, but Oikawa burrowed back into his blanket heap. Iwaizumi could barely make out the muffled words Oikawa added a moment later. "You're not going to talk me out of it, Iwa-chan."

And, as it turned out, Oikawa was right, because no matter how hard Iwaizumi tried to coax or persuade or bully Oikawa into spending nights in their cabin again, Oikawa went to the shed before dark every night from then on, and didn't emerge until the transformation wore off in the morning. And even once the bandages came off and Iwaizumi's wounds healed to scars, Oikawa couldn't bring himself to look at his partner's face too often or for too long. Because even though Iwaizumi wasn't bothered by his scars, except for the fact that Oikawa wouldn't look at him as much, to Oikawa, they were a reminder of his failure, of the monster he had inside him.


End file.
